Weeping Willow
by Arigatomina
Summary: Yaoi, 1x2, 3x4, Crossover fic. Four youths enter a haunted house to clear out the ghosts. Only some of the spirits don't want to go, the rest are bound to stay whether they like it or not.
1. Ghosts and Busters

Author's Notes: This fic was inspired by two movies, 'The House on Haunted Hill,' and Stephen King's 'Rose Red.' Of the two, it would bear more in common with Rose Red, since I love a true mystery-turned- movie setting. There will also be other anime characters popping up in some of the 'hauntings' - this is a haunted house fic as much as an angsty romance fic.  
  
Category: Anime, Gundam Wing, Alternate Universe, Yaoi  
  
Warnings: will contain creepiness, hauntings, violence, angst, shonen ai, and adult content  
  
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, slight D-R  
  
Author: Arigatomina  
  
Email: arigatoumina(a)hotmail.com  
  
Website / Complete Archive: www.geocities.com / arigatomina  
  
Weeping Willow  
  
Part 1: Ghosts and Busters  
  
They arrived at the appointed time, different methods of conveyance dropping them off outside the gates of the manor. Dorothy met them there, curious to follow each one from the moment he entered the grounds until he was secure in the foyer. She thought it would be the best way to get a first impression, seeing each one outside the role of 'psychic,' acting normally until the actual interview slash introductions got underway. And she did learn quite a bit about each from just watching to see how they arrived.   
  
The first, nearly a half hour early, was the blonde. Since she'd done the research to find each of them, she recognized him from his picture the moment the dark limousine pulled up to the front gates. The tint on the back window was just light enough to make out blurry but distinct pale hair. Though she already knew he was wealthy, the conveyance would have been a large clue if she hadn't.   
  
Despite the picture she'd seen, she was a little surprised by how small the boy was, his head not going far over the top of the dark car when he stood, just about her height, if that. And while the blue-green eyes were as wide and expressive as they'd been in the picture she had of him, he barely met her gaze before looking away again. It marked him as either shy or timid, something that made her wonder. According to the information she'd dug up on him, he was the heir of a rather large fortune. She'd thought he would be as confident as she was, if not outright bold. That first look as he shook her hand told her she'd miscalculated this one. No matter his wealth, he wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in a confrontation with her.   
  
It was with a little disappointment that she showed him inside the manor, leaving him in the foyer to wait as she returned to her post near the gates, eager to greet the next.  
  
Ten more minutes passed, then a distinctly different type of vehicle pulled up. This one was ragged, cheap looking, and more than a little worn in appearance. The dark gray truck sounded like a diesel engine, the two visible gas tanks telling her that was just what it ran off of. Again she recognized the person before he left the vehicle, though the girl in the passenger seat was new to her. The boy was nearly as young as the blonde, but much taller and not nearly so reed thin. He gave her a slight nod before leaning in to speak with the redhead, the girl having scooted over to the driver's seat. Dorothy wondered briefly if they were siblings or lovers, the soft brush of the girl's hand on the boy's cheek speaking volumes of a very close relationship. Then the boy turned and the truck roared, hopping a bit before pulling away with a low rumble usually associated with semis.   
  
His gaze was direct but not confrontational or intimidated. Her first impression of him was that he was a very sober individual. It made her wonder how he could be working and living with a circus when he looked like he never smiled.  
  
Dorothy led him to the foyer where she'd left the other one, curiosity making her pause in the doorway to see how the two greeted each other. From what she'd read, neither had much experience with other self-proclaimed psychics or mediums or whatever it was they thought of themselves as.   
  
To her surprise, the blonde looked up and started to smile, as if to introduce himself, only to blink a second later and drop his head with a somewhat uncomfortable look. A glance found the taller boy frowning at this, making her wonder if they'd had some sort of telepathic communication. She didn't particularly believe that people could talk without words, but something had obviously taken place. It made her frown in annoyance, watching the taller boy sit in silence, still staring over at the blonde, who continued to avert his eyes to the wall.   
  
This was something she'd have to investigate later, after the other two arrived. With that in mind, she went back out to wait again. And it was a nice short wait.  
  
She had just reached the gates when someone moved outside them. There wasn't a vehicle in sight, but the boy didn't look as if he'd walked, unless he'd started hours ago and had excellent endurance. This one was also about her own height, not very impressive, but he had sharp angry eyes that made her lips curve into a slight smirk. Now this one she was sure could be challenging if she pushed him.   
  
He fit her expectations perfectly, that dangerous look very appropriate for someone who was supposed to have fought in the last war and who'd been honorably discharged after mere months of service. Though how anyone could think the boy, who didn't look a day over seventeen at the very oldest, had been old enough to serve was beyond her. According to his records, he'd been fourteen then, and that was just ridiculous. Whatever act he was putting on, falsifying his information like that, she could at least appreciate that he did look the part.   
  
That sharp glare beneath dark dangling bangs and darker lowered brows fit the bill of a killer nicely. She smiled as she led him into the foyer, looking forward to taking him down a notch or two.  
  
When she entered, Dorothy again found her gaze moving to the blonde, irritation furrowing her brow. The taller one was giving him a very blatant frown, and the blonde seemed to have caught it, because his head was ducked lower, as if that look were berating him verbally. As much as she refused to believe in telepathy, it certainly looked like someone was yelling at him. But that didn't fit what she'd seen in the tall green eyed boy earlier. His formerly sober expression had fallen into something that looked like outrage, all of it seeming to be directed at the silent and almost cringing blonde.   
  
Dorothy scowled, inadvertently blocking the doorway so the newest boy couldn't enter. It was a light push that moved her aside, and she turned to comment on the rudeness. A glance at the dark-haired boy made her pause, his gaze also going directly to the blonde.   
  
What was it with him?   
  
The 'killer' glared sharply, his dark blue eyes seeming to flash, and she shivered. The pale hairs on her arms had stood on end the moment the boy glared, as if a cold breeze washed over her skin. And the two boys in the room flinched, turning to look at them in open surprise. The blonde's eyes shifted around him, as if looking for something, then he flushed a little and gave a weak smile before dropping his gaze. The other one merely gave a slight nod, just like the one he'd given Dorothy earlier, and the newest boy entered the room without a word.  
  
It was with impatience that she went back out to wait for the last one, and Dorothy found herself fuming at how strange the three of them were. Sure, she knew they professed to have all sorts of paranormal abilities, but they didn't know each other. How could they stage something that looked like a prime example of nonverbal communication?   
  
The thought that they'd conspired against her, making it look like they didn't know each other when they really did, was dismissed as quickly as it sprang to mind. No matter how strangely they behaved, she knew her research was as accurate as possible. The blonde came from the north, the tall one from the south, the 'killer' from the east, and the last one from the west, they were the best in their respective areas, but far enough away from each other that the chances of them having met were next to none. She'd set it up that way specifically to prevent such a simple fraud.  
  
The scowl that had formed over her face intensified by the time she came in sight of the gates and she nearly walked right by the shadow, her thoughts back on the foyer, and her gaze on the road beyond the gate where she expected the next car to pull up. Two steps past the spot and she blinked, turning sharply to stare at the dark boy behind her. He'd also turned back to look at her, and he gave a quick smile, matching his picture perfectly.   
  
He'd arrived while she was inside and had let himself in. That bit of information had Dorothy frowning, since she knew very well the gate was locked from the inside. But she didn't dispute it. Now that he was there, they could get on with the meeting.   
  
She turned back to escort him inside and found herself shivering again, this time from a slight drop in the temperature. While she'd never admit it, since it seemed to be a sign of something paranormal, she had a distinct impression that the air around the boy was colder than it was away from him. And something in his seemingly bright violet eyes told her he had seen the shiver and had expected it.   
  
That made her scowl again, walking a bit quicker so he trailed behind her, just far enough away to be out of that strange chill. They were all odd, but she refused to buy into their claims that easily. As quick as Relena was to believe in spirits and psychics, Dorothy had to maintain her scientific skepticism. Otherwise, the next few weeks would be impossible to bear.  
  
She opened the foyer door, intending to leave the last boy there and hurry to get Relena, so they could get things under way. But once again she found herself pausing to take in the strange behavior.   
  
The boy no more than stepped into the room before the other three were on their feet, staring at him in a mixture of disbelief from the wide eyed blonde, intense disapproval and anger from the tall one, and an unusual muddle of panic and livid fury from the 'killer.' Dorothy looked from them to the longhaired boy standing just inside the room.   
  
He looked wary, maybe confused, certainly a little sad at the reaction, but not the least bit surprised. And he made no move to go closer to them, leaving him a few feet away from the doorway. The angry dark-haired one glared, another of those odd electrical currents making Dorothy shiver. But it was his hissed command that really got her.  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
That chill she'd felt before returned tenfold, as if a frigid wave rushed past and even through her, heading out the open door behind her. She stared with wide eyes and rubbed her suddenly icy arms. The temperature rose seconds later, the dark-eyed boy giving a sharp frown before turning and resuming his seat, back to them. The others copied his motions, though they continued to look back at them.   
  
Dorothy frowned at the lot of them, not bothering to wave the longhaired boy to a seat. With a quick order for them to wait a minute, she turned to get their hostess. All the while her mind griped at her decision to take the will seriously and get involved with a group of weird, conniving teenagers. Psychics, indeed.  
  
Relena had been waiting, rather impatiently if the near groove she'd paced into the carpet said anything, and she nearly jumped Dorothy the moment she walked into the room. Without letting the blonde girl say a word, she grabbed her hand with a bright smile, and rushed off to the foyer in a flurry of her dark blue skirts. One of Dorothy's dark eyebrows twitched as she followed at a much more sedate and respectable pace.   
  
For all her decorum, Relena was just another teenager when she got excited, and she'd been eager to get into the house from the first moment she set eyes on it. Whether they were charlatans or not, the four boys were her key to entrance in a way that wouldn't go against the specifics set down on the will. But Dorothy knew it was more than that to Relena, the girl was actually eager to find out about the ghosts that haunted the place. Gullible, sometimes her friend could be very very gullible.  
  
The boys turned when Relena entered the foyer, the long-haired one still standing quite a ways from the seated ones. She smiled at them before going over to sit in the soft lined chair across from them, waving a hand to her side so Dorothy would take her place in the matching seat to her right. The moment her friend was seated, she sighed and let her gaze shift over the four boys. "I'm so glad all of you could make it. I'm Relena Peacecraft. I know you've met Dorothy, but I'd like you to take a moment to introduce yourselves, share your respective abilities. It should make working together much easier. And when that's done...we can go see the house."  
  
That last bit was given with very bright, almost childish excitement. Dorothy sighed and bit her tongue, doing her best not to say anything to spoil Relena's good mood. As much as she liked seeing the girl so eager, she hated that she was so willing to believe people, even when they were claiming to have inhuman abilities. Her friend had latched onto the angry one Dorothy had mentally dubbed 'killer', and the dark-haired boy returned that happy look with a cold, slightly angry stare.  
  
"Heero Yuy," he said, his low voice almost too soft for the intensity it managed to convey. "I can see the dead," he turned to give a sharp frown at the one standing behind them, "and banish them."  
  
The long-haired boy blinked, whipping his head to the side to see if there was anyone behind him, before frowning in visible confusion. "Why are you looking at me? I'm not dead."  
  
Heero snorted, and Relena looked to the dark-clothed boy who was still quite a few feet away from them, nearly on the other side of the room. She frowned a little, waving him closer. "You can sit down," she said slowly, "make yourself comfortable."  
  
"I'm fine," the boy said quickly, flashing a bright smile that was the mirror image of the one he'd given Dorothy earlier. "Duo Maxwell, telekinetic."  
  
Relena frowned for a second, trying to remember the meaning of that word, then she smiled brightly. "You're the one who can move things, right? We had a little trouble the last time we tried to enter the house - something shoved us right back out and slammed the doors after us. I expect that won't happen with you there." The boy shrugged, still holding his seemingly bright careless smile, and she looked to the next one, the tall sober looking youth.  
  
"Trowa Barton," the green-eyed boy said. "I can communicate with the dead, an afterlife telepathy of sorts."  
  
"And you did work as a medium?" Relena prodded. "One of the specifics on the will said we had to clear the house of those haunting it. Talking them into resting peacefully would really be the best way." Heero snorted again, and she blinked at him, frowning a bit. "They were there first, after all." The boy returned her look with that same cool stare, and she gave an uncertain smile. Then she turned to look at the last boy, the quiet blonde near the wall.  
  
"Quatre Winner," the blonde said, his voice a light tenor. "I'm an empath, meaning I can read people's emotions. And I hear the dead, though I can't communicate back to them." His eyes shifted a bit before settling on Relena again. "It's like listening to a one-way radio that you can't turn off."  
  
Relena nodded at him, her eyes bright once more. "Knowing how the spirits feel would really help. I'm sure they have good reasons for not resting properly. We just need to find out what those reasons are, and how we can help to settle them." She glanced over at Heero, shaking her head at the boy's doubtful face. "Banishing them wouldn't do any good. I need them to rest permanently, not just disappear for a while."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"So," Dorothy sniffed, "about the house."  
  
"Yes," Relena said brightly. "I've done my best to get a history on the place, but there is a lot of time left unaccounted for. And since I couldn't investigate myself, I can't say how much of the rumors are true - about the number of ghosts said to haunt the grounds. I'll just tell you all what is on record."  
  
"The history is really sketchy at best. No one knows exactly when the house was built, or who the original builder was. It was out in the middle of a dense forest - sometime around 1900, nearly thirty years before the town sprang up a few miles away. But it's held up wonderfully. You'd never know to look at it that it was so very old.  
  
"The first rumors about hauntings are from the thirties, that's when the town first started to grow and people were moving around the area." Relena dropped her eyes for a moment and flipped open a little folder so she could glance at the dates.   
  
"In 1932 a teenager stumbled onto the grounds while hunting in the forest there. He came back to town and spread a wild story about having seen a corpse hanging from a very large willow in the middle of the forest. The authorities followed him back but they didn't find any body - or a tree, for that matter. What they did find was the house, surrounded by brush and grass as tall as a man. The hunter was so adamant they entered the house, but there wasn't anything there, either. They were surprised, though, since the inside was in such a good state. They'd later claim it looked like new even though that wasn't possible given the area and the building materials used.  
  
"The house was sitting on public property, and since no owner was found, the state put it up for auction. It was sold a year later, in 1933 to rich recluse who'd been passing through the town. He planned to clear the area and make a road in so it wouldn't be so hard to reach from the town. He did clear the grass, and rumor has it he found a stump right where the hunter had claimed to see that willow tree and the corpse. But what was really strange was that he said he found bones. Dozens of fragmented human bones lying all over the ground, hidden by the grass he'd cut down. He went to the authorities but they didn't find anything when they got there. The grass was cut and they could see the ground just fine, but there weren't any bones. Just a little well that must have gone dry ages ago. The owner covered the well and that was it for a while.  
  
"No one from the town heard anything from him for weeks after he saw the bones, but since he was a stranger to the area, it wasn't that odd. He ran a small add for a hired hand to help him clear back the forest, but otherwise, he was cut off. He never got around to clearing a road so his visits to the town had always been infrequent. A few months after he bought the place some teens popped up with another wild tale for the authorities. They claimed to have seen the owner hanging from a huge willow tree in the front lawn of the house. The authorities scoffed, naturally since it sounded like a repeat of the first story about the place. But since no one had heard from the owner, or the drifter he'd hired to work for him, they had to check it out. They found the house empty of any bodies, but there were bloodstains at the bottom of the cellar. That was the first recorded 'disappearance' in the house. It was rumored that the kids had killed the owner, but I doubt they'd have gone to the authorities if that were the case.  
  
"After that the house sat derelict for about a decade. Drifters and homeless people wandered by, leaving more rumors about the ghosts in the house and on the surrounding land. People started saying that anyone who stayed there was never seen again. But none of that was ever substantiated so eventually they put the place back on the block and sold it to a respected family in the town.  
  
"The Kurosaki family bought the house in 1945, and their friendly neighbors from the town leant a hand so they could finally clear a road to the grounds. They seemed to like it, but no more than a few weeks passed before their young daughter died of a strange, unknown illness. After that they stopped coming to town very often, just showing up now and then for supplies. The funeral was the last time anyone saw the three together since they didn't bring the son with them when they went in to the town. Less than a year of living there and they moved away, a few of their old friends claiming to have seen the parents leave in the dead of night. Rumors spread that they'd poisoned the daughter and that either the son had run away or met the same fate. But once again, there was no proof so people said it was more work of the ghosts haunting the place.  
  
"The last people to actually live in the house was a pair of cousins, two young women with an unheard of amount of money." Relena grinned suddenly, sharing a wry smirk with Dorothy. "They spread rumors before they even moved in, since a few people didn't believe that they were really cousins. But no one wanted to think about that sort of thing, not back then. And they were pretty girls, so they had a lot of callers at first, the visitors going away to spread even more stories about the ghosts residing there. The women disliked the rumors and eventually they started discouraging callers. It wasn't long after they stopped getting visitors that they turned up missing. To this day, no one knows what happened to them. They could very well have left on their own. But, once again, their disappearance was attributed to the ghosts.  
  
"That was the last time anyone lived in the house, but it was bought once more in 1979 by a wealthy landowner. He was hoping to make money off of the ghost stories and offered to give tours to people passing through the town. It might have worked, too, if his first tour hadn't resulted in five people getting separated from the group. Somehow, no one noticed they were gone till the tour got back to the town. And when they went back the next day, they didn't find anything. The landowner gave the place up soon after, though no one - not even on his one and only tour - saw any ghosts.  
  
"Since then no one has lived there. People pass through occasionally and you'll hear more rumors of sightings, but no evidence. If I hadn't been thrown out of the door the first time I visited, I'd never have believed any of it. But now I'm sure there's something out there, something that drives people away. What I want is to see the place, to actually get in there and find out about it. I can't do that unless I'm following the stipulations on the will and clearing the house and land so it's safe for people. Since my grandfather purchased the area, no one in my family has been inside. I want to change that."  
  
Relena took a deep breath, beaming at the boys who were watching her. "That's where the four of you come in. I'm not allowed inside the house until it's been cleared, but there isn't anything in the will about having others go in. I'll supply anything you need, and pay you for your time. All you have to do is guarantee that you won't get scared off by some rumors. Since you've had experiences with ghosts, I'm hoping you don't scare easily."  
  
The girl was smiling very happily. Duo smirked at her and shook his head. "I haven't had any experiences with ghosts. I'm just your borderline schizophrenic teenager who manifests his angst in the form of poltergeist activity. Telekinetic, not ghost buster."  
  
"I know," Relena said quickly. "But I thought having someone who could move things would be a good idea, especially after the door moved on us. If these spirits can affect physical things, you'll need something to counter that so the others can converse with them."  
  
Trowa raised an eyebrow, his face otherwise sober. "If people are disappearing, what makes you think the ghosts would leave willingly? This house sounds like it is inhabited by malicious spirits, if not outright ghouls."  
  
"Oh," Dorothy mocked, rolling her eyes. "Now you're going to say it's possessed by demons, right? You so-called psychics are really something else."  
  
"No one here is a psychic," Heero said, his voice calm. "An empath, maybe, but no psychics. If you're hiring people based on paranormal abilities, at least learn the proper names for those abilities. Psychics predict the future. No one here can do that - unless he failed to admit to it earlier."  
  
"Either way," Dorothy sniffed. "I just want all of you to know from the onset that I don't believe in ghosts or people who talk to ghosts. As far as I'm concerned all of you are charlatans." The blonde boy was staring at her with a surprised look and she frowned over at him.  
  
"Then why did you ask us here?" Quatre asked, his voice very quiet.  
  
"I didn't," Dorothy said.  
  
"I did." Relena's voice was placating and she smiled at Quatre, not the least bit bothered by Dorothy's attitude. "Dorothy is a born skeptic, don't mind her. I'm the one who is hiring you. She'll be seeing to your progress more than I, but I have the final say. And for the record, I may not really believe in ghosts, but I don't disbelieve in them either. I know there's something in that house. I just haven't seen enough to put a name to it yet."  
  
Dorothy sighed and shook her head, rising to stand with a resigned expression. "I'll take you to the house, now. We had some men bring in the supplies for your stay, so if there's more that you need, tell me tomorrow morning."  
  
Turning toward the door, Dorothy was careful not to look back at Relena. "Just keep in mind that if you damage anything during your stay, or if anything ends up missing, then it's coming out of your wages. You'll be unsupervised, but that doesn't mean you can pillage the place."  
  
The girl certainly knew how to be insulting. Duo glowered after her, not moving until the other three had left the room. By habit, he let them get ahead of him a few paces before following. He threw a glance back at Relena as he left the room and waved at the girl's hopeful expression. Though he'd never seen a ghost, he was looking forward to a nice distraction. It gave him a chance to be around people his own age. Even better, he'd be isolated with them in a place where they couldn't easily avoid him. He'd never been too happy with the avoidance. As far as he could see, there was just something about him that bothered people. He was used to it, but that didn't mean he had to like it.  
  
Dorothy didn't say much during the drive, and she stopped the van at the edge of the gravel road. The boys looked at her in evident surprise, and she smirked. "I thought it would be good for you to get an idea of the surrounding area. This place really is isolated. Just follow the road, it leads straight back to the house. It's unlocked, so you should be able to settle fine."  
  
They piled out of the van and she smiled at them, half leaning out the window. "I probably should mention that there's no electricity. Someone installed a water system for the place, but you'll have to use kerosene lamps for light. They're already set up, so it shouldn't be a problem. As for food, there's a nice fire-powered stove in the kitchen. I don't think it's been used in ages, but I'm sure you'll manage."  
  
Heero's eyebrow twitched at her smug smile. Dorothy grinned wider. "Have fun with your ghost hunting. I'll stop by in the morning to see if you're still around. Try not to disappear before you get paid."  
  
- - -  
  
TBC


	2. Pitch Black

Category: Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, AU

Warnings: possible creepiness

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, will have more

Author: Arigatomina

Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com

Website / Complete Archive: www . geocities . com / arigatomina

Weeping Willow

Part Two: Pitch Black

An uncomfortable silence spread over them as the four teens stared down that narrow, gravel road. The forest to either side had risen up, or never been cleared back properly. Branches came together above them, obscuring the midday sun until a shadow encompassed their path.

The sound of their footsteps on the mixed gravel and dirt was loud compared to the quiet of the wood around them. It felt as though the forest were barren of life, or holding its breath to watch their passing.

Quatre shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. "This forest is in mourning."

Heero didn't know what the boy was talking about, but Trowa nodded with a sober look. Duo raised an eyebrow at the two.

"What do you mean, mourning?" asked Duo. "Don't tell me you're already hearing ghosts."

"No," said Quatre, "not ghosts, not human at all. It's more like...a murmur, or an echo. They're mourning, cold, bitter, angry but resigned, and...aching. They aren't hiding, they're oppressed and missing something. And it's so old they're shadows now, whispers in the wind."

"There isn't any wind," Duo commented, looking at the dark woods to either side of them.

The blonde boy blinked over at Duo and gave a weak smile.

"I didn't mean that literally," said Quatre. "The emotions are just faint with age - but it's so complete in this forest that I can still feel them. If it were only one, I'd never catch any of it."

"It."

Heero shot a suspicious look at Quatre, not quite glaring at the boy. "Not human spirits. Do you mean you can feel the forest itself? Animals? Plants?"

"I think so," said Quatre, giving a slow nod. "It doesn't feel or sound like a person - I can't make out the words. But the emotion is clear and layered. It would have to be coming from the wildlife around us, blanketing the area."

"And they are spirits," Trowa put in, looking over at Heero. "Ghosts of some sort, just not human. I can't communicate with them."

"I've never seen spirits that weren't human," said Heero.

He frowned at the forest to his right, eyes flicking from shadow to shadow wary of spotting some corporal presence. "I don't see any-"

A shadow shifted, so quickly that Heero froze in place.

One spot of bushes not too far from the gravel drive wasn't quite as dark as it had been a moment before. He didn't know if he'd caught some movement or if the branches above had shifted in a high breeze, waving the shadows to the side.

"What is it?" asked Duo, turning back to stare at the dark-haired boy. "Do you see a ghost?"

"No," Heero muttered, still squinting at the spot, "just a-"

"Oh!"

The others turned to him and Quatre pointed a shaky hand to a tall tree on the left side of the path. His eyes were very wide, and he swallowed sharply before speaking.

"Something just...just moved over the road." He whipped around to shake his head at the others. "But I can't see ghosts! I've never been able to..."

"Then it may not be a ghost," said Heero.

His eyes narrowed and he focused on searching the dark wood on that side of them. Now he wasn't looking for some vague outline so much as a physical one.

"Or maybe you don't need to have extra senses to see them here," Duo offered.

Quatre and Trowa frowned at him, and he shrugged, not really bothered by how doubtful they looked. "I mean think about it, those stories Relena told us. If other people saw ghosts, maybe they're just stronger than the ones normally seen."

"A hot spot," said Trowa. "A gathering, perhaps. If this house is as old as she said, then it's quite possible that the number of spirits here is so high they can manifest a visible form to anyone who comes into the center of that energy."

"Maybe," said Heero, not looking back at them.

If it were true, then that was fine. Normal people spotted ghosts regularly in certain areas of the world, hot spots, as Trowa had called them. But there was still the chance that whatever Quatre had seen was not a ghost at all. Heero planned to keep his guard up until he knew for sure.

"Stay in the middle of the path," he said.

He nodded to the others as they moved ahead of him, leaving him to trail after with his gaze shifting from side to side, watchful of any movement in the woods around them.

"So," said Duo, walking alongside Trowa and Quatre. "Why would a forest be in mourning? Is it because of the people who were supposed to have died in that house? I didn't think animals would care much about things like that."

"Energies affect everything in hot spots," Trowa explained. "Enough death and darkness in one location and it can seep out to taint everything around it, including the natural wildlife itself. Animals sicken and die, plants wither or grow mutated. Ground water turns sour and carries diseases. It's rare, but it has happened. The effects rarely last long, though, at least the effects on nature. Animals are quicker to recover, and it's usually the people who feel the lasting residue of that sort of left over darkness. Even if spirits remain to haunt the place, the wildlife will simply move on, easing back to stay at a safe distance."

"These haven't done that," Quatre said quietly, his pale eyes sweeping up to the trees blocking the sky above them. "Maybe they can't. They're resigned as if they were tied to this spot, forced to remain. Or else the energy swept so quickly that the entire region was affected and what I'm feeling is the result. If enough animals and wildlife died at once, they could have been stuck in the aftermath. Only...the sadness and longing doesn't fit with that. As if they chose to stay and suffer for whatever it is they're aching for."

"I don't know about that," Trowa admitted. "All I hear is the murmur. I'm not getting any sort of feeling from it."

"So animals have ghosts, too." Duo smiled and shook his head. "I guess that makes sense, but you never hear of people seeing ghosts of their dead pets - just relatives."

He glanced back at Heero, following the boy's gaze to the forest. "But it's quiet here. There aren't even any birds."

"As if the entire area were dead," Quatre whispered, hugging himself to ward off a shiver. "And all I can hear and feel is the pining of the deceased. How could anyone choose to live here when they never stop crying...?"

Trowa shook his head, distracting the boy. "The real question is why they're crying - and why they're still here after all this time. And if the forest is so dark, the house is guaranteed to be worse."

Heero stepped up on the other side of Quatre and frowned when they looked at him.

"We're being followed," he said coldly, his voice soft and dangerous. "I still don't think it's a spirit - not the sort I have seen in the past. But it's visible. It just doesn't seem to be concrete enough for me to catch more than a glimpse of the shadow before it shifts out of sight. When it moves, darkness moves with it, as if the clouds were following to make sure no light falls on it long enough for me to make out its form."

Wide eyed and a little unnerved, Duo shot a quick look at the trees towering over them. "If it's not a ghost, what could it be?"

"A ghoul," Trowa said quietly, also scanning the trees. "Or a poltergeist, some sort of negative spirit not necessarily human at all. There are many dark things that haunt alongside ghosts. They're drawn to the energy of the place."

He turned a sharp look on Duo. "Like the ones you had earlier."

"What?"

The others were also looking at him now, and Duo sidled away so they weren't quite so close to him. "What are you talking about?"

Heero's eyes narrowed and he sniffed at the wide-eyed boy. "You really can't see or feel spirits at all? Even a normal human can feel when there are that many in the same area - the temperature drops."

"I've never seen a ghost," Duo frowned.

"I didn't see them," Quatre said softly, looking at Duo in sympathy. "But I heard them. You came in with at least three, earlier. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they seemed to be feeding off your energy."

"Like a ghoul," Trowa nodded, also frowning at Duo. "You must be a very powerful telekinetic if you didn't even notice their presence. But you must have seen others shy away from you - Dorothy was doing it when you first came in."

"People have always done that," Duo said slowly. "You mean to tell me I've had ghosts following me around and that's why people are so uncomfortable? That's just stupid."

"Or you are," Heero snorted, "for not noticing. Two of them were human, but the others were barely formed. They could have been anything from a fading spirit to an outright ghoul, all sucking your life force like parasites."

He gave a disgusted shiver, snapping his eyes away. "You might as well have been covered in leeches."

Duo grimaced, rubbing at his arms since they suddenly felt all slimy. "Don't say that."

"If you didn't feel it, then there's really no harm in it," said Quatre.

He gave a very weak smile, doing his best to reassure the boy. "You never even knew they were there, so it could be worse."

"Like the one that follows you?" asked Trowa, his eyes flashing down at the blonde.

Quatre winced, dropping his eyes with an uncomfortable look.

"Spirits tend to follow those they know can hear or see them," he said softly. "They can't help but attach themselves."

"And you can hear them," Heero sniffed, "so you're a captive audience. That radio that you can't turn off."

"He usually isn't so loud," said Quatre, his eyes darting away as warmth crept to his cheeks.

Trowa frowned at the boy, a hint of that anger from earlier coming back to narrow his eyes.

"I've never lost a relative," he said slowly, "but someone like that would drive me crazy after a few days. If you can't respond to him, you should have gone to someone to act as mediator and see why he remains."

"I know why he remains," Quatre said sharply. He grimaced, shaking his head as he quickened his pace.

"There's no reason to talk about this," he said, his voice trailing back. "We have more important things to focus on."

Duo looked at the boy's back in confusion for a long moment before turning his attention to the two boys still near him. "What's that about?"

Heero gave a dark sneer, shaking his head roughly. "He's haunted, like you."

He caught Duo's confused gaze and frowned at the boy. "You really know nothing about ghosts."

"No," said Duo, tossing his hands up in exasperation. "I told you guys earlier, I've never had any experience with ghosts."

Trowa sighed, glancing back at the boy. "When people die with deep-rooted problems, they often attach themselves to loved ones. Normally people don't notice it so eventually the spirit fades out or drifts away. Others remain until they're driven away. It just depends on the spirit."

That made sense in a way, though Duo still didn't believe that he'd been surrounded in vampire ghosts. He raised an eyebrow at Heero. "Have you ever been haunted?"

"Yes," Heero said sharply. His face darkened in an almost hateful scowl. "But I drive them away. Vengeful spirits bent only on mischief, I've no time for that."

"I see." Duo gave a slow, hesitant nod. "I guess it would be nice to be able to just banish any ghost that gave you trouble."

"Hn."

"I can see it!"

Quatre's voice drifted back and the others were surprised to find themselves so far behind. They cut into a quick jog, watching as the trees opened ahead of them. Then the clearing was visible and they halted next to Quatre at the end of that old drive.

The yard was wild looking, with grass up to their knees as if lawnmowers hadn't been invented. But their eyes were drawn to the house that stood directly across from them, two stories with odd pale brown walls and shadowy windows. The front stood out with a roofed porch below the second floor, a dark door almost obscured by the overhanging shade. The roof was a dark color, but didn't seem to be made of the usual roofing shingles.

Heero let out a sound of disbelief. "This was made in 1900? Impossible. There aren't enough willows in this region to make a house that large. They would have to be shipped in."

"Who would make a house out of willow trees?" asked Duo, raising an eyebrow at Heero. "And how do you know it's made of that?"

"I know trees," Heero sniffed. "But it doesn't matter. Even if someone did manage to collect enough usable hardwood for a building that size, willow doesn't keep. It would have collapsed after only a few years."

"And the roof," said Trowa, his voice sober. "What is it made of?"

Heero's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "Bark, maybe. I have no idea. Whoever built that was either mad or a genius architect. It should not be standing."

"It's not very pretty," Quatre commented, frowning up at the lonesome looking house. "The wood is so...dull looking. There are more than enough walnut trees in the forest here. Anyone would use those instead of something like willow."

"Enough about the building material," Duo smirked. "We're here. So what's first? Do we look around outside or go right in and start exploring?"

Heero turned a droll look on the boy and sniffed at him.

"You can't go off on your own," he said. "You'd come back with half a dozen ghosts attached to you without even knowing it."

Duo bristled, but held his retort. Straightening his shoulders, he turned away and stalked off to look around the wide yard.

"I wonder if there are any ghost bones," he said. "That would be neat."

"Relena didn't really say much about outdoor ghosts," Quatre said, his voice drifting back to the boy.

He'd turned and was looking at the ground on the opposite side of the clearing. "Just the bones and a ghost tree."

His eyes widened and he turned to look over at Trowa and Heero. The boys had approached the porch, taking the center.

"Do you remember what she told us?" Quatre called. "The people said they saw a willow tree in the front lawn. She didn't mention that the house was made of willow trees, but I'd bet the two are connected."

"Ghostly plants," Duo laughed, shaking his head at the thought.

He turned away and continued scouring the high grass for any glimpse of the reported bones. A few steps and he saw something else that was just as interesting.

"Hey," Duo called, grinning over at Heero. "I found the stump! But it's huge. There's no way it was a willow."

Trowa nodded to Heero and the two of them crossed to join Duo. They were nearing him when a sharp cry sounded behind them. Duo gasped and they turned just in time to see the blonde boy disappear.

"Quatre?!"

Duo froze, staring in shock at the spot where the boy had been standing. The two near him broke out of their paralysis quicker and he shoved his legs into motion, running after them.

They were six feet away when the sun disappeared, a wave of darkness flowing from the forest and across the lawn. It didn't touch them, but it obscured the grassy spot they'd been aiming for. For a moment it was as if something had eclipsed the sun, pitch black inches in front of them. It lasted mere seconds before disappearing into the ground, right where Quatre had been standing.

Duo ground to a halt, his mind stunned that he had actually seen something paranormal. And a vague thought filtered through his mind as he stared at the suddenly too-bright grass in front of them. Heero had said that ghosts were felt by a drop in the temperature. But as black as the thing had been, he'd felt a definite heat radiating from it, not cold air.

Silence gave way slowly, leaving the impression of a soundproof door being opened to the outside. Faint sounds filtered to them, as if something was calling from an airtight room.

Heero, whose gaze was still locked on the place where Quatre had stood, took a slow step forward. Trowa caught his arm immediately, halting the boy with a sharp shake of his head.

"Look," Trowa said softly, pointing at the ground.

Duo eased close to his side and he directed their gazes to the splintered wood a few feet away, half hidden by the overgrown grass.

"Do you remember what Relena said was in the yard," Trowa continued, "aside from the tree trunk?"

Duo's eyes widened and he gasped, the blood rushing from his face. "The well...! But...if he fell in the well and that thing went in there after him-"

With a forceful shake, Heero removed Trowa's grip on his arm and stalked forward. He watched the ground carefully until he spotted a black spot through an ivy-covered surface that was a little too high to be the ground.

Crouching next to it, he glared into the darkness. "Quatre? Can you hear me?"

That faint sound came again and this time they all recognized it. But the boy sounded so far away. The well couldn't be that deep, and it should have echoed. Come to that, they should have heard the wood break when the boy fell through it.

Trowa crouched down beside Heero and held a hand up for the boy to remain silent.

"He isn't alone down there," he whispered, his eyes very narrow. "Let me listen. I may be able to communicate with it. If it's what we saw in the forest, I really doubt you'd be able to banish it."

He turned, catching Duo's eye. "See if there's a rope in the house, something we can-"

"No," Heero said sharply.

He glared in frustration but remained firm. "There is definitely something here, but the main manifestations have been in the house. He can't go in alone."

"Yes I can," said Duo.

He stood and nodded down at the two teens. His eyes were still a little too wide, the whites showing more than they should have. But he didn't care. "I'll be right back!"

Heero growled when the boy whipped around and ran to the house, but he didn't move from his spot. If it came to it, he'd consider the entire well a ghost and try banishing that - hoping to catch whatever was down there.

Glaring into the darkness, he narrowed his eyes, straining to catch any hint of movement below.

- - -

Something brittle but almost soft had broken Quatre's fall, leaving him to gasp in shock rather than pain.

He hadn't stepped on the well. He knew he hadn't. The ground had been clear beneath him when he'd placed his foot down. Only the moment he moved forward to complete the step, the ground had changed under him. He'd barely had time to recognize the rotten wood before he'd fallen through.

How could a spirit disguise the ground like that? And why? Why would anything want him at the bottom of a dark well?

His hands closed over what felt like crumbled bits of sandstone as he pushed himself up, his legs curling to support him.

The well hadn't just dried up, it felt as if it had been baked. The air was thick and dry, so much that his first anxious cry for help came out soft and hoarse.

He tilted his head back, eyes staring above him. A tiny bit of light sparked at such a height that he rubbed his eyes before looking again. Surely he hadn't fallen that far.

He leaned forward and pushed to his feet before tilting his head back again.

"I'm down here!" Quatre yelled.

The bit of light disappeared as if in response to his yell and for a long moment he thought one of the other teens had leaned over to look down at him. Only the light didn't reappear and the air was suddenly much heavier.

Quatre's eyes widened slowly, a soft rustling sound catching his attention.

It wasn't a voice, it was movement. Behind him.

A shiver passed over him and Quatre's wide eyes stared into the pitch black around him. He turned his head slowly, almost afraid to put his face toward whatever it was, but not wanting it at his back either.

A distant sound caught his ear and he let out the breath he'd been holding as he recognized Heero's voice calling to him from above. "I'm-"

Sharp pain erupted on his leg at the same moment something landed on his shoulder. Quatre screamed, kicking at what felt like an animal climbing up his leg. He flailed back and his hands rose to shield his face.

The ground gave beneath him with a dry crackling sound and he fell onto his back. One of his hands came down, automatically trying to brace him to stand again, and he felt something smooth beneath his palm. And his fingers identified what his mind refused to admit.

He'd landed on bones, dry, broken, crumbling bones.

Small claws ran across the back of his hand, more climbing up his stinging leg. He could hear that rustling around him grow closer and he drew his legs up, his shoulders hunched as he brushed frantically at his legs, seeking to shove them away.

Wetness met his fingers but whatever rats or creatures were biting him, his hands went right through them. He could feel the little teeth, claws ripping at him, but he couldn't push them off.

Another light weight fell on his shoulder and his cries turned into a muffled whimper as he curled in on himself, drawing his knees up to his chest and curving his arms over the back of his neck.

How could they be biting him when he couldn't touch them? How could there be so many? How?

_Imprisoned, bound. This will be your tomb._

The voice was soft, a bare whisper of amused and ancient silk, but Quatre heard it with his ears as well as his mind.

Those ghostly creatures were still tearing at his arms and legs, sharp teeth pulling on his hands to get at the back of his neck.

He curved tighter, screaming into his knees. "Somebody help! Please! Get me out of here!"

_A suiting punishment, don't you agree? Even if it dries up one day, you'll never break the binding I've laid. No one crosses me, not even you._

"You have to wrong person!" Quatre cried, his eyes burning as he felt blood trickling down his wrists and inside the collar of his shirt. "You don't know me! I've never done anything to you!"

The air grew thicker, hotter, suffocating. Quatre gasped against it, red flashing behind his eyelids.

The voice had shifted into laughter, loud and booming, pressing on him as if the well itself were vibrating from it.

He whimpered, tears streaking his hot face. "Help me..."

'_You don't belong here._'

The sensation of claws pulling at him faded away and Quatre opened his eyes. The air was still hot and heavy, but the voice was different.

This one...almost sounded real. As if it had heard him and understood.

"I didn't mean to fall in here," Quatre whispered, not lifting his head in case the ghostly creatures attacked him again.

'_Get out, then._'

The voice was deep, flat and emotionless. But it was a direct reply to what Quatre had said.

Swallowing the dry lump in his throat, Quatre tentatively lifted his head. "I - I can't get out. Not on my own."

'_You're disturbing the innocent. Get out._'

"I want to," Quatre said quickly, his voice rising along with his panic. "I want to, I really do, but I can't!"

He tilted his head back and stared hopelessly at the pitch black above him. It was as if the well had been covered over again, as if he'd never fallen through the ancient wood shielding it.

"Someone! Is anyone up there?!"

That rustling sound came again and Quatre flinched, choking back a sob. "No..."

'_Fresh blood. They feed on corpses. You're taunting them._'

"I don't mean to," Quatre cried.

He rose quickly, ignoring the wet pain from his scratched legs. "Heero! Trowa! Duo! Can't you hear me?!"

'_No._'

"But...but you can..."

Quatre turned his head, not sure exactly where he should focus. Red lights caught his gaze and he jerked back a step, nearly falling over his own legs. "Aah!"

Heavy silence settled a moment after his cry, broken as the rustling came again.

Those weren't lights gleaming in the blackness. They were glowing red eyes less than a foot away from him.

Quatre's throat went dry, his legs weakening until he fell to his knees. And unwittingly, he'd managed to put himself at eye level with the thing.

"W-what are you...?" he whispered.

The glowing orbs seemed to float a few inches closer and he cringed back, another soft sound escaping his throat. "Don't..."

The air was thickening, blurring his sight until those eyes smeared over the darkness. Quatre stopped breathing. Maybe he held his breath, or maybe the oxygen just disappeared.

That shifting, blurry red color over the black was no longer recognizable as eyes. Now it seemed more like a mouth, gaping, gleaming with impossibly large teeth that spread to swallow him whole. And still, he couldn't breathe, couldn't move.

Now he could hear a voice in the distance, hiding in the forest beyond the reach of this place, screaming giddy and gibbering in triumph.

_I told you not to go, told you not to go, you never listened, but I told you, didn't I, you know I told you not to go, you wanted out, wanted free, to live, but now you'll die, and don't you wish you'd listened, I'm always right, you ignored me and see where it gets you, next time you'll listen, only there won't be a next time, scream, scream and remember, remember I told you, I told you not to go, scream, doesn't it hurt, it does, it hurts, I told you, didn't I tell you, I told you so, you know I told you so, I told you- _

That gaping mouth filled his sight, but Quatre didn't care. Anything to shut out that voice, anything at all to just make him stop.

The dark lashed out, sinking its teeth into him, shoving him back and up, crushing him in coils of pressure, and he barely heard his own scream.

- - -

TBC


End file.
